Motor-wheel.



No. 650,906. Patented June 5, I900.

' E. Prams.

MOTOR WHEEL.

(Application filed Feb. 5, 1900. (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented June 5, I900.

E. PERKS.

MOTOR WHEEL.

(Application flled'leb. 6, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

'(No Model.)

FIG. III.

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Patented June 5, I900.

E. PERKS.

II 0T 0 B WHE E L. (Application flle d Feb. 6, 1900.)

48 eats-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATIENT, OFFICE.

EDIVIN PERKS, OF COVENTRY, ENGLAND.

MOTOR-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,906, dated June 5,1900.

3 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN PERKS, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Coventry, in the county of Warwick, England, haveinvented .certain Improvements in lVlotor-Wheels, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to motor-wheels, and has for its principal objectto provide a com pact and self-contained motor-Wheel in which the centerof gravity coincides approximately with the central plane of the Wheel;and my invention consists in mounting the motor within the wheel ontrunnions, one or both of which is hollow for the passage of thecontrolling-gear and the like.

I will describe my invention, by way of example, as applied to a'motor-wheel; adapted to serve as the rear driving-wheel of amotorbicycle, for which purpose my invention is particularly suitable,though I Wish it to be understood that wheels constructed according tomy invention may be used for various other purposessuch, for example, asordinary mill-gearing.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side elevation of themotor-wheel; and Fig. II is a rear elevation, partly in section. Fig.111 is a side elevation; and Figs. IV and V are rear elevations, -on anenlarged scale, showing the construction and relation of certain partsof the motor indetail.

The same numerals indicate the same parts in all the views.

For the purposeof my invention I prefer to employ a motor on the linesof the De Dion 5 but this is not essential. To each side of thecrank-casing 2 I secure a bracket 3 4, of curved or other suitable form,and having an outwardly-projecting stud 5 6, both of which studs arepreferably hollow and which constitute the trunnions before referred to.On each of these trunnions is mounted a vertical flange 7 8, preferablyon ball-bearings 9 10. The parts of the trunnions projecting beyondthese flanges are adapted to be secured, preforably detaohably, by meansof halved clips 11 12 to the bicycle-frame 13. An internal spur-wheel 14is connected to the flange 7 preferably in such a way that it may befixed or released rotatively, as required. This may be accomplished byproviding the wheel 14 Application filed February 5, 1900I Serial No.4,117. (No model.)

with a flange 15 and the flange 7 with a recess 16 and a keeper-ring 17.Afriction-band 18 is passed around the exterior of the wheel 14, and theends of the band are fitted with a divided conical screw-ended stud 19.A nut 20, adapted to engage the stud 19, is carried by a log 21 on theflange 7 and is provided with a star-head 22. On the casing is pivoted afork having an arm 23, connected, through the rod 24 and elbow 25, to aspindle 26, mounted in blocks 27, fixed in the trunnion 5. To the outerend of the spindle 26 is socured an arm 28, adapted to be operated bytherod 29. The said fork has the prong 30 set out, while the prong 31 isstraight. When the rod 29 is moved forward, the prong 30 comes incontact with the star-head 22, and the nut is screwed onto the stud 19,drawing its parts together and contracting the band 18 around the wheel14 and locking the said wheel to the flange 7. By moving the rod 29 backthe prong 30 is engaged with the nut, so as to loosen the same on thestud 19 and release the band 18 from the wheel 14 and the said wheelfrom the flange 7. The fork is moved into a neutral position when theband has been tightened or loosened sufficiently, or the wheel 14 may bepermanently fixed to the flange 7. The teeth of the wheel 14 are adaptedto mesh with the teeth of the pinion 32 on the motor crank-shaft 33. Theouter face of either flange, preferably 8, is provided with achain-pinion 34, connected by achain '46, arranged similarly to those ofthe fork 3O 31; or the carburetor maybe carried on any suitable part ofthe bicycle, the feed-pipe then being led through one of the trunnions.

In order to reduce the width of the wheel, I prefer to arrange thetwo-to-one gear at the back of the motor instead of in the usualposition at the side. I mount a transverse shaft 47 in suitable bearingsand provide one end thereof with a toothed wheel 48 of twice the size ofthe pinion 32 and gearing with the wheel 14. The shaft 47 thereforerotates at half the speed of the crank-shaft 33, and I provide it withany suitable form of mechanism for operating the ignition-gear and forlifting the exhaust-valve. To relieve the compression when starting themotor, I provide a lever 49, one end of which lies under .the tappet 50of the exhaust-valve-lifting gear. This lever is operated throughsuitable connections 51 52 53, passing through the trunnion 5 from therod 54. By pulling up the said rod 54 the lever 49 acts on the spindle55 of the exhaust-valve through the tappet 50 and the compression isrelieved. On releasing the rod the exhaust-valve spring 56 restores theparts to their normal position.

If electrical ignition be employed, as preferred, the battery 57 andcoil 58 may be arranged behind the motor within the wheel, theconnections to the ignition-plug 59 and contact-breaker 60 beingarranged in the ordinary way, and one pair of wires 61, connecting thebattery and coil, are led through one of the trunnions to the handle-baror elsewhere, where they are provided with a suitable switch; but thebattery or coil, or both, may be arranged 011 other suitable parts ofthe machine and the electrical connections passed through one of thetrunnions to the ignition-plug contact-breaker. The mechanism of thecontact-breaker is mounted on an insulated plate 62, mounted loosely onthe half-speed shaft 47 and adapted to be moved about the shaft as acenter, so as to advance or retard the ignition by means of theconnections 63, 64, and 65, passing through the trunnion 6 and operatedby the rod 66. Tubeignition may be employed, if desired.

The flanges 7 8 are provided with spokes 67, connected with a two-piecerim 68. Bolts and nuts 69 connect the two parts of the rim, preferablyat the end of each spoke; but they may be more or less numerous than thespokes, if preferred. The exterior of the rim 68 is grooved to receive asecond rim 70, which receives the tire 71. The convex back of the rim 7Ofits into the groove of the rim 68, there being a slight space 72 leftbetween the two parts of the rim 68. By tightening the bolts and nuts 69the groove is contracted and the rim 70 very firmly secured in position.By undoing the halved clips 11 12 and disconnecting the chain 35 themotor-wheel may be readily detached from the frame 13, and by removingthe bolts 69 either or both sides of the wheel may be detached and themechanism fully exposed.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. The combination of a wheel, a motor mounted Within the said wheel, agear on the said wheel, means for fixing and releasing the said gear toand from the wheel, and a pinion on the crank-shaft of the motor adaptedto mesh with the said gear, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a wheel, a motor mounted within the said wheel, aframe, means for attaching the motor to the frame, a gear on the wheel,a pinion of the crank-shaft of the motor adapted to mesh with the saidgear, pedal-gearing for driving the wheel, and means for allowing thewheel to overrun such pedal-gearing, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a wheel, a motor mounted within the said wheel, ahollow trunnion on the said motor, a supply-tank within the said wheel,means for regulating the sup ply from the tank to the motor, and gearfor controlling the said regulating means passing through the saidtrunnion, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a wheel, a motor mounted within the said wheel, ahollow trunnion on the said motor, an electrical ignition device mountedwithin the said wheel, and part of the electrical connections passingthrough the said trunnion, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

5. The combination of a wheel, a motor mounted within the said Wheel, ahollow trunnion on the said motor, an electrical ignition devicecomprising a generator and a sparking-plug whereof the generator ismounted outside the wheel, and an electrical connection passing from thegenerator to the sparking-plug of the motor through the said trunnion,substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a wheel, a motor mounted within the said wheel, ahollow trun nion on the said motor, an electrical ignition devicecomprisinga movable contact breaker mounted within the said wheel, andgear for controlling the movement of the said contactbreaker passingthrough the said trunnion, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a Wheel, a motor mounted within the said wheel, agear on the wheel,'a first pinion 011 the crank-shaft of the motor,adapted to mesh with the said gear, an exhaust-valve, a rotatable shaft,a second pinion mounted on the said rotatable shaft of twice thediameter of the first pinion and adapted to mesh with the said gear, anda"de-' vice mounted on the said rotatable shaft for operating theexhaustfvalve, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a wheel, a motor mounted within the said wheel, agear on the wheel, a first pinion on the crank-shaft of the motoradapted to mesh with the said gear, an electrical contact-breaker, arotatable shaft, a second pinion mounted on the said rotatable shaft oftwice the diameter of the first pinion and adapted to mesh with the saidgear, and a device mounted on the said rotatable shaft for operating thecontact-breaker, substantially as set forth.

9. In a motor-wheel, the combination of a motor, trunnions on the saidmotor, flanges rotatable on the said trunnions, a two-piece 10comprising an exhaust-valve and mounted Within the said Wheel, a hollowtrunnion on the said motor, a lever adapted to open the saidexhaustwalve, gear for actuating the said lever passing through the saidtrunnion, and

means for closing the said exhaust-valve, sub- I 5 stantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

. EDWIN PERKS; W'itnessesi THOS. F. WILSON, JOHN T. FAZAKARLEY;

